Teaching Design with CAD?

Abstract

Abstract as well as functionally dependant design exercises are essential components of an architectural education at nearly every university. Their goal is to provide architect students with a feeling for proportions, colours, materials etc., and to teach and train them in threedimensional thinking. Pictures and concepts, developed by the designer are materialized by various technologies such as with pencil and paper in the traditional two-dimensional techniques or with clay, wood, paper etc. in three-dimensional modelling. Now the computer and the CAD-system join the palette of the designers available resources in presentation as both a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional medium. Although CAD is often considered and taught to be only a better drafting tool, the educational goal of our group at the University of Dortmund is to employ CAD as a design support medium. The prerequisites for work with the computer and the CAD system are provided in a compulsory two semester undergraduate subject. Basic programming, work with spreadsheets etc. are some exemplary themes provided in the form of lectures and practical exercises. A main emphasis of this instruction is the mastery of three-dimensional working technology with a comprehensive CAD-System. In cooperation of our computer science group and architecture chairs, seminars involving the use of CAD as a three-dimensional design tool, are offered as graduate courses. The seminars consist of loops of modelling and evaluating objects in a three-dimensional space. With this, the most possible realistic studies in colour, light and proportion take place exclusively on the computer